Gauri (also known as Gavri or Gavari) is celebrated by tribal communities in the southern part of Rajasthan as a forty-day festival that entails fasting and celebration in honour of Lord Shiva and his consort, the Goddess Parvati. Public performances put on as part of the revelry include dance, storytelling, music and worship.

The tradition of the Gauri dance has been celebrated for centuries, yet there have been no books in English till now on this mystical and enchanting practice. Photographer Waswo X. Waswo has joined with art historian Sonika Soni to create this book delving into the esoteric world of Gauri dance.

Through Waswo’s distinctive studio portraiture, with the photographic prints hand-painted by hand-colourist Rajesh Soni, the astonishing visuals of Gauri costuming and performers is presented in beautiful colour reproduction. In her essay, Sonika Soni explores the history of this ritual dance with an eye to examine both what is known about it, and what still needs to be discovered, keeping central the conflicting stories of its origins and the folk tales that make Gauri the “enigmatic opera” of Mewar.

Waswo X. Waswo is a photographer and writer, noted for his chemical process sepia-toned photographs of India, and also hand-coloured portraits made at his studio in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Rajesh Soni is a third generation Rajasthani hand-colourist, also known for his abilities at drawing, painting, and photography. Sonika Soni has a master’s in art history from the Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU Baroda, and a post graduate diploma in Museology and Conservation from CSMVS, Mumbai. Pramod Kumar K.G. is founder and managing director of Eka Cultural Resources & Research.